The College Football Playoff needs a committee and one noted college football dignitary has stepped forward offering his services. Wisconsin athletics director Barry Alvarez, perhaps still feeling energized by his brief return to coaching in the Rose Bowl, says he would be interested in joining any such playoff committee that has yet to be formed.
According to Madison.com, the former Badgers coach has spoken with BCS/College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock and is suggesting he could very well be a part of the committee that will decide which four teams get to participate in the College Football Playoff starting at the end of the 2014 season.
From Madison.com;
“I’d have to think about it,’’ Alvarez said this week of his message to Hancock, “but football’s been very good to me and I owe college football. I’d be interested.’’
Alvarez, who coached the Badgers for 16 seasons before taking over as full-time athletic director in 2006, said his conversations with Hancock came after Alvarez spoke with Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany about the opportunity.
Asked if Delany gave him a nudge in the direction of accepting a committee assignment if offered, Alvarez said: “Jim wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t tell me that I have to do it.’’
Alvarez, by all accounts, appears like a solid candidate for the job. He has never been one to really be shy about his opinions on the sport and he is pretty well respected even outside of Big Ten circles. Considering it looks as though each of the top conferences will have one athletics director sitting on the panel — expected to be between 12 and 20 members — it would appear Alvarez would be the top candidate to come out of the Big Ten if the conference is limited to one representative. The larger the committee, the better the odds are Alvarez would be included in the first playoff committee as well.
For more on Alvarez potentially being a part of a playoff committee, be sure to check out Madtown Badgers.
Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast. Follow McGuire on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.
